Sister Wives: Kody Brown Ruined Janelle’s Life & Career (She Stayed With Him For Too Long)

Sister Wives’ star Janelle Brown is trying to recover from a decades-long spiritual union with Kody Brown. Can she really put the past behind her?

Sister Wives star Janelle Brown gave up on Kody Brown during season 18, after years of frustration, and trying to pick up the pieces must be such a grueling process. For years, Janelle hung in there, trying to believe in the uber-patriarch, whose devotion to Robyn was a thorn in Janelle’s side. All Janelle wanted was help with the kids and some affection, but Kody made her feel like she was asking for the moon and stars. As if the rejection wasn’t bad enough, he left Janelle with a slew of problems that time may not solve.

Sister Wives season 18 wasn’t easy for Janelle or anyone else. Kody was still close to Robyn Brown, his one legal wife, but his spiritual unions with his other three spouses were falling apart. He and Janelle got together way back in 1993, so they have a lot of history. Janelle had issues with Kody, as he seemed to leave her high and dry during the COVID-19 pandemic. She parented alone, and her kids weren’t happy about their father’s abdication from their lives. Yes, Janelle got used to taking care of things on her own, but Kody was her husband – he’s the father of her children. Kody really dropped the ball.

Sister Wives’ Janelle Brown Says She Has Money Problems

Did Kody Brown Leave Janelle Brown In Dire Straits?

Janelle’s never been rich. Some reality stars are, but according to her, the spiritual union with Kody left her with debts that she may have trouble paying off. For example, Janelle said that she had to take out a mortgage in order to cover her portion of the doomed Coyote Pass land development project.

Apparently, she didn’t have enough savings to cover the full amount that she owed, so she reached out to a financial institution and became a borrower. In hindsight, that wasn’t the best decision, as the family couldn’t get along well enough to make Kody’s Coyote Pass pipe dream a reality.

Janelle camped out on the land in her recreational vehicle. That was a sad end to a family dream. When the plural marriage imploded in season 18, it seemed like Janelle ended up with the least of everything. Onscreen, in the latest installment, she lived in a bare-bones rental with a tiny galley kitchen. Meanwhile, Robyn was living in a large house with a gorgeous living room and gourmet kitchen. Kody and Robyn had a wine fridge and all sorts of amenities.

Christine Brown thinks that Janelle stayed with Kody for so long because of money concerns. Yes, Janelle had to take out a mortgage, but Kody put his name on her patch of land too, as per Christine’s comments on the show. The first Brown wife to leave, Christine, said:

“I believe that’s the biggest reason why Janelle is staying with Kody is because she has nothing in her name… and the [Coyote Pass] property, Kody’s name is on every piece of property.”

In the past, Janelle went out to work, helping to support a family that grew to include 18 children. Like Kody, she was a family breadwinner, but that didn’t exactly pay off for her. She poured money into the Brown family, but it doesn’t seem like anything was set aside for her future. Of course, Kody, who’s all about Robyn, didn’t plan for Janelle’s financial future.

A lot of the focus on the family’s downfall is centered on feelings. Emotions are important, but there’s more going on here. When the unloved spouses decided to bail out, they were actually making sacrifices to do it. Janelle must have realized that she’d need to start over financially, and she’s currently 54. While she’s probably hopeful about the future, the sad fact of the matter is that Kody let her go without even caring about her money problems. That’s on top of not caring about her feelings.

There’s a real ruthlessness to Kody. He was so arrogant when Janelle opened up about her money problems. Instead of having empathy, he was remarkably snotty. He crassly told the world that Janelle had the:

same assets

as everyone else in the family. However, that doesn’t seem to be true. She wasn’t living particularly well onscreen in season 18. It seemed like she just couldn’t afford to. If she had the “same assets” as Kody and Robyn, how come she wasn’t living in a fancy house like theirs? Kody’s story really doesn’t add up, and it’s sketchy that he put his name on everyone’s Coyote Pass land (if that’s really true).

Janelle Brown Really Loved Kody

Janelle Brown May Be Heartbroken

Janelle stayed in love with Kody for such a long time. Kody thought it might be lust instead. He said that Janelle was only interested in his “body,” including his

great six-pack abs

Kody’s not that emotionally intelligent sometimes. He has missed signals. It’s quite possible that Janelle loved Kody and she may still love him. Just as he doesn’t care about her finances, Kody seems unmoved by her love, dismissing it as a physical crush. As usual, unless he’s talking about himself and Robyn, Kody doesn’t go deep under the surface emotionally.

Other peoples’ inner lives and emotional realities seem foreign to him. It’s like he doesn’t even try to understand. When a trio of wives left him after so much provocation, he seemed angry rather than sympathetic. He should have kissed them on the cheeks, hugged them and wished them well. Instead, he stored up rage and seemed to consider them his enemies. That made no sense. They tried to get close to him and were rebuffed.

No wonder Janelle was miserable. This man couldn’t even believe that her love was real. What if it was? In that case, he was dismissing something that was really hurting her. He was telling her that her feelings weren’t even real. What could be more hurtful after decades together? It’s like he was saying that their spiritual union had no meaning. Maybe for him, it didn’t. He’s talked about wanting Janelle back, but he may be lying just to look like a good guy.

Kody Brown Won’t Face His Co-Parenting Issues With Janelle Brown

Will Kody Brown Keep Feuding With The Kids He Shares With Janelle Brown?

Kody can’t get along with the kids that he shares with Janelle. He wants his ex Janelle to smooth things over for him, but it’s not that simple. By letting these feuds fester, he’s not helping Janelle. She has to parent those kids alone. Sure, they’re all a bit older, but they still need parents in their lives.

Janelle shares six children with Kody. They are:

Onscreen, in season 18, some of these adult children were lashing out. Savanah, the youngest, didn’t even get a Christmas present from her father. He said that he’d give her one later on. Gabriel and Garrison felt ignored by their father during the pandemic. Kody’s harsh COVID-19 rules meant that he never saw them, and in fact seemed to resent them for following CDC guidelines rather than his own regulations.

Now, Janelle’s dealing with a fractured family as she also copes with heartache and money problems. That’s a lot for a woman. Janelle has so much on her plate – she’s strong, but she must wonder why everything turned out like this. Maybe she’s looking for someone to blame – someone who spent years working against her behind the scenes, seemingly trying to damage her life and career. She thought that Kody was at least a friend.

Janelle’s waking up to the realities of her situation, and she’s beginning to move forward, but not at the rapid pace of her fellow exes, Christine and Meri. Janelle seems to need more time to come to terms with everything that’s happened. Possibly, she loved Kody the most of the former spouses

Janelle resents Kody for leaving her with all the parenting. He thinks she’s:

The Teflon Queen

She didn’t really deserve that kind of brutal criticism. Janelle worked to support the family just like he did. She had good times with Kody, including camping trips that they took together. Janelle was a great sounding board whenever Kody needed advice or a shoulder to cry on. All of that’s been forgotten. Kody showed her what’s really under the surface. He was never really on her side. He threw her to the wolves for Robyn. He made Janelle fight for everything that she has and she doesn’t seem to have a lot.

While he did so much damage, Janelle’s very bright. She’s smart enough to navigate the situation that she’s in now. She just needs to find a path. The more she understands about her past and how she got where she is, the easier it will be to put it all behind her. That kind of knowledge and self-awareness will help her to make good decisions that keep her out of toxic relationships. She’s lived and learned, she’s older and wiser, and Janelle’s got some work ahead of her, but she can rise to the challenge.

Nonetheless, for decades, she gave everything she had to a man who is ultimately out for himself and Robyn. She sank all of her resources into a situation without hope. Now, she needs all that money that she threw away, but it’s gone. It’s a time when Janelle needs to be very strong. She’ll have to dig deep to make sure that she can recover. In the past, she’s shown so much grit and common sense. Those traits will help her in the future.

Janelle Brown Lost Weight But Maybe Her Transformation Happened Too Late

Should Janelle Brown Have Slimmed Down When She Was Married?

Janelle’s shocking 100-lb weight-loss transformation has been really dramatic, but it’s possible that she waited too long to change her body. Kody seems to prefer a more delicate and overtly feminine type. Robyn was extremely petite and dainty when Kody met her, and he fell head over heels in love. Now, he’s still in love, and fully committed to Robyn after years together. Robyn actually fat-shamed the other wives, implying that they weren’t trying hard enough to look good for Kody. She said:

“When I came into this family, I knew and I saw when there’s stretch marks and there’s weight gain … and there’s like — you’re being stagnant in your marriage and there’s fights and money problems or whatever it is … He still had this romance going with each of them.”

While that’s harsh, sexist and all the rest of it, Robyn knows Kody better than anyone, so there may be a grain of truth to what she said. Kody may truly prefer a thinner female. Lots of people have types, and Janelle may not have fit his ideal. Possibly, if she’d made more of an effort to get lean and mean during her marriage, she’d still have her physical bond with Kody, which reportedly meant a lot to her.

Now, she’s lost her intimacy with the patriarch and that’s not all she’s lost. She’s hurting financially, may be heartbroken, and has to start over as a mature woman. No one could blame Janelle for being bitter, but acting like a martyr won’t get her anywhere. Action (including maintaining her weight-loss results) will make her feel better and push her towards a better future.

Does Looking Back Hurt Janelle Brown?

Janelle Brown Has Decades Of Brown Family Ups & Downs To Remember

Janelle’s got her Plexus venture, and she may have ways to monetize her online activities. She’s got whatever she gets from filming Sister Wives, but what she doesn’t seem to have is a full-time job that she can count on. Maybe she’ll get one. She used to go out to work and seemed to love it. Perhaps a day job will be the best way to fix her money problems. Staying that busy might also help her to stop thinking about Kody.

Sister Wives‘ Janelle tried to make things work with Kody, and when she did find the gumption to complain about her financial problems, he cut her down. Never a gentleman, Kody has shown his three unloved exes just how cold her can be. Maybe they never expected to feel that kind of chill. What Janelle needs is warm-hearted people who love her. Her children do – her family, minus Kody, is the best thing in her life. While Kody ruined so much, there’s still a lot left, and that’s what she should focus on.